Twisted Games
by steph1906
Summary: AU post 7x22 where Katherine is still alive and is summoned to help bring Damon back from the darkness. Centered around Season 8.
1. Chapter 1

**It has become a tradition. Luke, this is for you. As always we tried our best, we love you a lot and we hope this little gift makes your day a bit brighter. Enjoy!**

 **Att: Steph & Caro**

* * *

It was a cold and empty night. There was no soul in sight, except for a car across the road. The loud music coming from it could be heard from the distance. The quietness and darkness should terrify anyone, but not the young couple returning from a party, blissfully happy and carefree, unaware of their surroundings.

"We've been driving for hours, or it was just ten minutes since we left? I can't tell" Complained the girl, annoyed and a little bit tipsy from the alcohol she was consuming before.

"Relax baby, we are almost getting to my place. Why don't you keep your hands busy if you know what I mean" was the answer her so attractive boyfriend gave to her, with a wink and the hint of a smirk, remarking his suggestion.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled and was willing to comply. Using her hand, she started to draw circles on his thigh, making him shift of position in the drive seat. It was the reaction she was expecting. Just when she was moving her hand up further, the car turned around 180 degrees and she was taken aback by the force with her head hit the steering wheel.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" was the only thing she could manage to say. Her head was spinning.

"I think I saw someone lying on the road. We almost hit someone!" He was trying to regain his composure. It wasn't that he cared hitting someone, but it wasn't smart to have problems with the cops again, not even 2 months after he was caught trying to rob from some store.

"Shouldn't we check then?"

"Maybe it's just someone more drunk than us" He replied, shrugging his shoulders. At the 'are you serious?' look from his girlfriend, and without wanting to be called a coward, he got out of the car, with his girl following him close.

"There's no way I'm staying there alone" She said in answer to his silent question.

The cold air hit them in the face. An abrupt change from the warmth they got used to while inside the car. It was too quiet, their footsteps echoing along the road. As they kept approaching, the person they almost hit before started to take the form of a man, apparently unconscious. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a black t-shirt underneath, black pants and black boots. His hair was messy and black too. He could be easily confused with the dark of the night. His hands were resting over his chest, and a big ring with a 'D' on it was placed in one of his fingers. Even in this state, his features seemed harsh, giving him a sinister look. There was something about him, they couldn't figure it out what yet, but it made them feel uneasy. As they wanted to reach for the man and check if he was still alive, he was already on his feet, which was weird considering they didn't see him move. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. One minute he was lying on the road, the next minute he was in front of them. His eyes were drained of any emotion, and his mouth was twisted in a diabolical smile.

"Don't move" Said the stranger with an indifferent tone, first to her boyfriend, then to her. She started to panic when she realized that her body was frozen in place. She wanted to run to the safety of the car but her muscles weren't responding. The panic was growing. This was supposed to be a fun night, with friends, music and alcohol, ending up with her having sex with her guy. But it was turning into a nightmare. She couldn't move, was it because the fear was overpowering her survival instincts? Or it was because of his command? But that was absurd, and yet she could only see what was happening around her.

The man was standing there, motionless.

"You've been a very naughty and sinful girl" Were his next words. He was staring at her, his lips curved into a smirk, as if he knew every one of her dirtiest secrets and it made her shiver to her core.

Turning around, he was facing her boyfriend now "Your poor soul is so corrupted, it'd serve well to feed Sybil"

Before they could even register the meaning of his words, Damon sank his teeth on him, in front of the astonished look of the girl and her scream of horror, before leaving the guy unconscious. With his mouth covered of blood, he approached the girl, like a predator haunting his prey. His teeth were on her neck as soon as she was about to scream once again. The taste of her blood was delicious, but Damon stopped his assault when he felt her body going limp. Sybil needed them alive. He released her and positioned her right next to the guy. When he started dragging their bodies to the hidden Camaro, his vampire hearing captured another sound. Footsteps. He wasn't alone. Someone was coming.

Damon turned away from the battered bodies of his victims in alert. Waiting patiently for the person who was about to turn into his new victim. He grinned maliciously. He wasn't expecting his night to become so interesting. And then he saw _her._ It was Elena. But that was impossible. Was he hallucinating? Wasn't she supposed to be under the sleeping spell, still in a coffin? At the vision of her, his heart grew in his chest and he rested his hand near to it. His whole face lit up. A real smile appeared this time. He could feel Sybil tense in response, trying to reach out to him, trying to not lose her control over him. She knew who Elena was. Of course she knew. Elena was present in his mind at every moment. She knew that Elena was the only one who could bring him out from the darkness. The only one capable to set him free from her chains. He fell to his knees, trying to fight the agonizing and excruciating pain in his head. It was an agony. His body was trembling, his vision was blurry. Trying to stop the evil force ready to take over, he fought back with all his strength. He was weak, but seeing her again was all he needed to not give up. He had to make sure that she was really there; he had to see her again.

With this thought in mind, he slowly stood up. It felt as if he was trying to carry up a heavy body that didn't belong to him, but that didn't stop him. His girl was right there and it was the most alive he felt since the moment he was tricked to going into the vault. His vision was getting clearer and he was more aware of his body now, responding only to him. Damon focused his vision and time stood still. There she was. It was Elena, his Elena. His girl. He dreamed day and night with this moment. He could see her in front of him from afar. He could recognize her silhouette even with his eyes closed. Why wasn't she getting closer? Was she afraid of him? Of the things he could do? Was she disappointed of seeing him attacking that couple? Disappointed that he wasn't the better man she thought once he was? He was terrified of seeing the disappointment in her eyes. But then, another thought occurred to him. What if he was being tricked? The last time he was full of hope thinking he could see her again, only for his happiness to be taken away from him. But none of it mattered; he had to make sure that she was real.

Elena started to approach, uncertain. Thanks to the light coming from the forgotten car of his victims, she came in full view and he was flooded with the same emotion he felt every time he was in her presence. A single tear escaped from his eye, when he saw that she was still wearing the same blue dress he dressed her up with, before saying goodbye. It made his heart ache with nostalgia. That moment still present in his mind. It was the worst day of his life, because he lost his life. A part of him was gone since the moment he embraced her for the last time and she went to deep slumber. He was desperate to feel her, to touch her again. Using his vamp speed he got right in front of her.

"Elena" His tone of voice was low, the one that it was only reserved for her. Before he could cup her face in his hands and kiss her with everything he had, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and then darkness took over him.

* * *

Voices, familiar voices, but he felt no response from his muscles, he could feel darkness looming over him, but not the kind of darkness that had been surrounding him for the past months, no, this was different…He felt his limbs heavy and his mind fuzzy, he tried to start small and go from there so he touched the ground, cold stone floor, where was he?

His fingers finally managed to grasp the ground below him, the movement to his legs was slowly returning, he tried moving his kneecap and slowly succeeded, next he moved his neck a little, trying to get a good look to where he was.

After minutes of slowly feeling how sensations were returning to his limp body, he finally managed to turn his head to the left, he saw a very familiar wooden door with little bars on top and then he turned right and saw a bench. He knew where he was now, he was at his own house, or used to be. He felt anger running through his veins when he grasped the fact that somebody had done this to him, he moved his hand and then he felt it, shackles. Of course Saint Stefan had put shackles on him, he was too unpredictable, too reckless. He chuckled humorless, he tried moving his legs and what do you know? Shackles as well, he guessed he wouldn't go anywhere until Stefan once again understood he couldn't be saved.

He tried rattling the shackles but they were incredibly secured, he rolled his eyes and sat on the floor next to the bench. He was playing with his daylight ring when he heard it…

"You can't let him down there Stefan, he's not in a good state of mind but he's no criminal and no murderer, not on purpose". That voice…It couldn't be, she was sleeping in a coffin…How?

The last thing he remembers before waking up in this place was seeing Elena on the road, or at least he thought he saw her. It wasn't a hallucination after all? What was going on?

"Elena, he is dangerous, and even though I want you to help him, I also care about your safety, its better this way". Elena…He said Elena, but that couldn't be, how? He felt a new surge of anger at the possibility of Elena waking up and no one bothering to call him to let him know.

"Stefan, this isn't going to work if he doesn't see me, he needs to know I'm real, that you guys found a way to wake me up before Bonnie died, that I'm here and I'm not going anywhere"

Damon heard nothing but silence for what felt like an eternity and finally a long deep sigh.

"Okay Elena, we're doing this your way only if you're sure about this"

"I'm sure Stefan, it's Damon, I'm not gonna give up on him"

Damon heard when the door opened and a pair of boots went down the first step.

"I won't be long, okay? I just need to run some errands with Caroline for the twins"

"Okay, Stefan" He heard how her feet went down 3 more steps hurriedly and he felt his heart involuntarily beating faster to the possibility of seeing those brown eyes that he loved so much. Stefan's voice interrupted once again.

"Elena, whatever you do, don't let him loose okay? That's all I ask from you, that's my one condition to leave you alone with him" He said with a somber voice.

"I won't Stefan, I promise" Damon smirked, knowing his girl was lying, he knew her and he could hear the mischief in the tone of her voice, which was weird, giving how Elena wasn't usually like this, but he guessed his girl was as desperate to see him and feel him as he was desperate to see her.

He finally heard her footsteps going down the stairs and turning the door knob to open the door, he could feel his mouth going dry. Would she look different? Would she see in him the monster he really was? Would he see love in her eyes or some other emotion? It felt like an eternity when he finally had her in his field of vision, and what a vision she was.

It seemed after he saw her at the road his girl had opted for a change of clothes, she was wearing those cute brown combat boots she loved, a pair of worn out tight jeans and a blue shirt that coincidentally matched his eyes, he thought. Her hair was loose, straight with a slight curve on the edges, just like she had it before she fell into that comma. When he finally reached her eyes he felt a twinge in his heart, she was looking at him curiously, as if she was trying to figure him out.

He tried to smile at her but felt a sharp pain in his head, Miss Evilness was trying to take over, he could feel it deep inside him; she knew Elena was his light and the only thing that could make him snap out of the darkness that she forced him into. Shaking his head he set his eyes on her again and softly spoke.

"Elena" He said as if it was a prayer he had learned upside down long ago. She was as striking beautiful as he remembered her, then like a switch in his brain he recalled what he heard just minutes ago "When did you wake up?" He said in his best business voice, he would get answers first to make sure this wasn't some kind of trick and he would smother her with kisses later, that is if he convinced her (and himself) that he posed no threat to her.

"Yesterday…They woke me up with a spell somehow, I don't know the details, I only cared that all the people I love were alive and well" She said with the softest of voices while fidgeting a little with her hands "Well, almost everyone at least" She said looking at him intensely.

Damon couldn't look at her in the eyes for long knowing sooner or later they'd be filled with disappointment so he lowered his head and decided to do what he did best, approach things in a sarcastic way.

"Well, I don't know about that, Elena, I'd say I'm fine, wouldn't you? I mean my body is eternally hot, I'm sure you remember that" He winked for good measure "I drink my weight in human blood straight from the vein every day and since Enzo is a pansy and could actually be saved, he's no longer with us, so it's just me and my Camaro driving across the state, I'd say I'm doing fine"

She looked at him with pity and that made him very uncomfortable, she had never looked at him that way, always with compassion, with kindness, never with pity.

"Damon, you really think you can't be saved? What about me, huh? Do you even care about me? About all the promises that you made? She said visibly getting agitated "Do you even know how hard it is for me to see you like this? We said we would have a bunch of" she swallowed audibly as if she was having trouble saying the word and Damon narrowed his eyes "kids, you said we'd have a family, you said we'd be together forever…And what about Stefan? Don't you care about your brother at all? He's been nothing but loyal towards you and that's how you repay him? By not fighting back? She scoffed "Typical".

Damon could feel himself getting angry, it's like Elena didn't know him, and did she even know he was in this situation because he decided he could be the hero she convinced him he could be? Did she know he took one for the team and went inside the vault and it was in fact HER voice what triggered him to go further into the vault and fall into the clutches of Sybil?

"Did you even bother to get the rest of the story or are we back to the good old days when you just blame me for everything going wrong? I didn't go into the vault because I was bored and I wanted some adventure Elena, I went inside that vault to save my brother, and the scooby gang"

A shocked gasp left her mouth "What?"

Damon rolled his eyes "Yeah, and it was your angelic voice the thing that made Sybil finally trap me, for a second I thought that you might have woken up and you were in danger, and I couldn't think of anything else but saving you, and seeing your face again and holding you, it was like nothing else mattered in the world"

She sighed softly and pronounced his name in a softer tone "Damon"

He turned his back to her for a second to rub his eyes and temples when a loud noise shook him from his thoughts; he turned around and saw Elena closing the door of his cell, only…she was inside.

"No no no no no! Are you freaking insane?" He said with desperation as he rattled his shackles "Stefan told you not to come inside, I'm dangerous Elena, you know what I've been doing these past months, you know how many people I've killed and hurt" He could feel his nostrils flaring in anger at the little self-preservation she had "I could hurt you Elena, if…she takes over and she wants to hurt you, there's nothing I can do about it, she owns me" He said with a barely visible sad glint in his eyes

"I don't believe that" She said with that stubborn streak he adored and hated in equal measure "You wanna know what I believe? I believe you love me Damon, I believe that you would do anything for me and you would never hurt me, even if Sybil gets inside your head" As she was talking she got closer to him and he took a step back, even so and thanks to the reduced space on the cell, they were now close enough to touch "You are strong enough to fight this Damon, you just need the right motivation" She said passionately as she cupped his face with rough hands "You can do this, I'm here now"

And then he felt her tiny arms around his strong body, how her hands were pushing their heavy breathing chests together, still he couldn't bring himself to hug her back, not when he had chains around his wrists and their contact would be limited, no, when he finally get to hold her in his arms again he wanted every limb of his free, free to grab her legs and wrap them around his waist as he pushed her into a wall and ravaged her with kisses.

Damon stood still as she hugged him for what in reality was a couple of minutes but felt like two seconds. Suddenly she stepped away from him and looked him in the eye in the strangest of ways, like she was proud of herself? And also he noticed a glimpse of something he couldn't quite put his finger on…And then he felt it, the blood flowing to his wrists, she had released his shackles while she was hugging him. He turned to look at her in disbelief and a bit of anger when she showed him the key in her hand with a pleased smile, a genuine smile.

"I don't believe you would ever hurt me, Damon, and I'm going to prove it to you" She slowly lowered herself to the ground without taking his eyes from his and carefully opened the lock of his shackles on his feet, once she seemed satisfied with her work she returned to her original position and threw away the key outside the cell through the bars of the door.

Damon was transfixed and speechless by what she had just done, she had given him the ultimate proof of her trust for him, she had released his every shackle and now she was standing in front of him, waiting for him to make the first move…But why did it feel…wrong? The Elena he knew, his Elena, would be as thirsty as him to taste his slips again, she would jump to his arms as she wrapped her legs around him, she would flung herself into his body like that night when she became human again.

Making a first move on each other had never been a competition or a matter of pride like it had been for Damon with other relationships, if you could even call it that. Both Elena and Damon knew they were equally consumed by each other and equally thirsty to demonstrate their love for each other with kisses, touches and making their bodies one. It sort of reminded him of his time with Katherine, she always expected him to make the first move because her pride couldn't allow him to know she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Katherine always wanted to be worshipped and even if she could be really passionate with their lovers, every encounter was more about her, about pleasing her, about pushing her. And then like a light had been turned on in his brain he recalled the looks he couldn't quite put his finger on, that "Elena" had been giving him…The mischief in her look, the curled up smile with a hint of naughtiness, the little gestures of pride she had shown so far…This wasn't Elena, she hadn't woken up, this was Katherine and she was trying to trick him…He snarled inside.

"Katherine" He finally snarled as he took a step forward. He saw her flinch almost invisible to the human eye but very visible for a vampire that had been drinking his weight on human blood for months, even on vervain his abilities were superior.

"What? Damon what are you talking about? Why are you suddenly mentioning Katherine when we're finally reunited? She said making her most innocent look "I'm Elena, look at me"

"No, you're not" Damon turned around from her for a minute to recover his composture, when he felt it was safe again he turned to her again "What on earth are you doing, Katherine? Did Stefan put you to this? Did he think I wouldn't notice the difference between the love of my life and the woman I despise the most in the world?"

"Damon, it's me, look at me. I'm Elena, I'm here for you, to love you, to save you, to let you know that you're not a monster…I want us to start that life we talked about before I fell into that coma, please " The traitorous bitch said with her eyes getting teary, making him *almost* second guess himself, almost. She suddenly grabbed his hand and put it in her heart "You see? I'm human, my heart beats and it beats for you, Damon"

Damon gave her an incredulous look and roughly took his hand off her heart "This isn't real, Elena is not here, she is sleeping inside a coffin, in a warehouse in Brooklyn, with people compelled to take shifts to watch over her, with Tyler Lockwood supervising…She is not here" He said suddenly in a desolated tone that made the woman in front of him soften for one split second, and then the storm came back to his eyes "She's not here…But you…" He took a couple of steps towards her until he cornered her in the wall "You are" He practically snarled in her face "You, the woman that cares for no one versus the woman who gave it all for the ones she loves…"

The woman in front of him took a step back and let the tears that had been cornering her eyes fall freely, rolling down both her cheeks "Damon…It's me, it's Elena, look at me" She shook her head "I can't believe you're doing this to me again" She took a deep breath and got closer to him "You can't tell the difference between Katherine Pierce and me…again" She said the last word with anger and for a mini second Damon actually doubted.

One mini second, and that was all it took for Katherine to blow up her cover when he noticed her head imperceptibly moving up, her neck stiffer and higher. He knew that was Katherine's characteristic move, she never wanted people to see her cry, for her crying was a weakness and if she let the tears fall, she always stood higher to maintain her prideful and tough image. There was not a doubt in his mind now, the woman attempting to make her tears believable was none other than the elusive Katherine Pierce, his Elena was still in a comma and this bitch was breathing and walking when it was the girl in the coffin who deserved that privilege.

He was aware and he could bet anything Stefan and possibly Caroline were behind this, thinking they could fool him, he would prove them all wrong…He felt how the darkness inside of him twitched to the possibility of punishing those who had wronged him, the thought excited the monster inside of him. They would pay but first he would start with the faux doppelganger in front of him. She wanted to play? Fine, he could play.

He got closer to her and softly, almost tenderly cupped her face and whipped her tears away "I believe you baby, I'm sorry, I've been tricked before and I needed to make sure it was really you, not the selfish, manipulative Katherine, hell not even Tatia or Crazy Pants if they ever found a way to bring them back to life" He rubbed his nose against hers "Forgive me?" He asked using his best pout.

She smiled and put her arms around him, playing with the hair on his nape and then taking a step closer to him, making the space between their bodies almost non-existent "Of course I forgive you…Now, I seem to recall you haven't said a proper hello since you've seen me, don't you think we should change that? She asked, her voice getting huskier by the second and making Damon smirk, oh she did not know what was coming to her.

"We haven't?" He slowly slid his hands down from her face to her waist, hearing what he was sure was an involuntary gasp coming from Katherine's mouth, he had her right where he wanted "We need to fix that as soon as possible" He said as his face was inched closer to hers, his nose rubbing hers and his lips barely touching hers, teasing her, driving her insane. He was aware he wasn't playing fair, he always did this with Katherine because he knew every touch and every kiss with her was a power struggle, one he was not willing to lose.

He could swear he heard her growl before she snapped, roughly cupped his face and kissed him hard, she was the devil but damn, Miss Hell in heels could kiss.

Their hungry lips kept colliding again and again and the kiss grew more intense as Katherine licked the seam of Damon's lips with her tongue, asking for entrance to which he, who was as caught up on the kiss as she was, immediately granted permission opening his mouth and allowing their tongues to tangle in a fiery battle of dominance, one both of them knew all too well by now.

Damon slowly lowered his hands to Katherine's backside, fully cupping it as she let out a loud moan and bit his lip drawing blood, he suppressed a moan as he felt her sucking his bloody lip into her mouth. Suddenly he grabbed her backside harder lifting her legs and wrapping them around his hips, carrying them up to his room in vamp speed.

He let her fall straight into the bed and pounced on her again as she giggled and purred "My sweet Damon, I've missed you"

Damon only smirked as his lips returned to hers with a vengeance, this time he was the one sucking her lip into his mouth as his hands roughly caressed her tights and slowly went up, fingers running through the front of her jeans as she moaned, passing through her stomach only to inch upwards the shirt she was wearing to fully caress her toned stomach with his fingertips.

She smiled at him and pushed him back a little just to get some room to take off her shirt and throw it away on the floor somewhere, never taking her eyes off him, eyes that were currently lustful and dark with desire.

He smirked and lowered his head to her stomach as he made a path of kisses upwards, making her moan and wriggle in pleasure.

"Damon" She moaned and he smiled against her stomach, it was time to up the stakes of the game.

Damon trailed his lips, kissing and licking from her belly button to the valley of her breasts 'til he reached his destination, her neck. He left a couple of kisses in the soft spot behind her ear and then his lips were in her ear, whispering huskily "Gotcha" And then his lips were in her neck again but this time his fangs were doing the job, he bit as hard as he possibly could as Katherine let out a blood curling scream, a scream no one but him heard.

He continued to drink her blood and mentally rolled his eyes, her blood was really nothing like Elena's, her blood was an elixir to him and Katherine's blood was merely decent. He drank until he felt her body going limp from the blood loss and she passed out.

He stood up from the bed and wipped the blood from his jaw as he went to his closet to get some rope…

"Time to play, Kitty Kat"


	2. Chapter 2

Katherine was feeling weak, her eyelids felt heavy. She was lying in a bed, and not any bed. It was Damon's bed in fact. She remembered his preferences for the softness of silk sheets all too well. But why was she here? Oh yeah...her tongue was too occupied in a battle for dominance with his, and then things were getting steamy and then… he bit her hard in her neck. The bastard saw through her façade of Saint Elena Gilbert. The sudden realization hit her like a truck. She needed to convince him somehow that she was still Elena. She was alone with Damon in the mansion, who was still instable, Stefan long ago gone, and now that she was human, she couldn't protect herself like she used to in the past. She missed so much having the perks of being a vampire. She hated being a fragile human. And God knows what Damon would do to her, if the evil creature inside of him woke up again. She had to keep trying, giving her best shot, gaining some time before Stefan returned.

Suddenly her face was abruptly hit by cold water, making her open her eyes, gasping for air. Blinking a few times, she tried to wipe away the water from her face and noticed that she couldn't move her hands. They were inmobilized, tied with rope to the bedpost. _What the hell?_ She thought to herself. She couldn't move her legs either. They were tied too to the end of the bed. Panic started to grow inside of her. Turning her face around, she spot Damon. He was sitting in a chair, in front of the bed, looking at her with amusement, but beyond that, there was anger. He was furious with her. She had to think fast and keep pretending that she was his precious Elena. She decided to go for the indefense damsel route first.

"Damon? Why did you do that to me? You know that before I sacrificed years of my life for Bon..Bonnie I took the cure and I'm human now Damon. I could get a cold. I don't want to be sick" she said in a defensive tone, and in front of his inquiring look, she added in a softer tone "What's wrong? Why would you be so harsh with me? Don't you still believe I'm Katherine right?"

Of course the first concern of the bitch would be about the possibility of her getting sick. Predictable. Rolling his eyes, he said "Time to stop with the game Katherine. Faking Elena's innocent face and the warm of her eyes, it doesn't suit you at all. But you know what does suit you? Gray hair. I miss how old and unattractive it made you see, for my pleasure"

Katherine glanced hard at him, but she recovered quickly. Giving him a look of uncertainty, and concern now. "What happened to the Damon who would never do anything in purpose against me?"

"Do you mean to a manipulative bitch like you Katherine? Because that Damon died a long time ago" he replied, still not buying her act.

Katherine was getting frustrated, but she was not going to let him have the upper hand. She was the Queen in mind games, manipulation and survival. And right now, so much was in game. She wondered what gave her away before, that made him bit her hard and then tie her to the bed. She was still weak from the loss of blood, but he won't be giving her his blood any time soon. Damon hated being tricked, after all the times he had been fooled in the past, especially by her.

Before giving her the chance to talk again, he tried a different approach "So how is that you are still planning a betrayal with Stefan, behind my back, considering that he was the one who killed you so to speak?"

He knew he caught her off of guard. She flinched for a second, before giving him a weird look. For a moment, he thought that she was about to confess, until she once again masked her expression, trying to imitate Elena. The bitch was a good actress, he could give her that.

"Damon, Stefan was just trying to bring me back. You know I became a host inside my own body and Katherine took control over me" she tried as much as she could, to add more sadness to her tone of voice "It was like a nightmare, being trapped inside myself but you already know that. I can imagine for how much you've been going through since the moment you went into the vault".

And there it was, the same look of pity she gave him moments before. Anger flowing throw his veins once again, making Sybil excited from the inside. He tried to calm his temper; he could still have fun playing her same game.

"Now I'm wondering if all the things you told me were true. How you were looking up for me all those years you were looking up for Stefan too. Or how you felt jealousy of seeing me displaying my affections towards Elena when you came back to the town and that's why you told me you never loved me, that it was always going to be Stefan, or how you didn't want Elijah to kill me" He said, in a mocking tone.

She knew what he was doing, trying to get a reaction out of her, reaction that he wouldn't get. Even if it hurt her seeing him diminishing the confessions she made to him some months before in a moment when she let her walls down, she didn't want to give him that satisfaction. Instead, she used that emotion against him, from Elena's perspective.

"I didn't know that Katherine and you had a conversation like that one" Damon saw the hurt across her face, and it seemed genuine. He was surprised for a few seconds, until he remembered that the same Katherine could say something like that. Elena would be surprised yes, but she would still trust him, because she knew that his heart only belongs to her.

"Until when are you going to keep with the farce Katherine? I thought you knew I'm smarter than that"

Katherine almost let out a growl in frustration, but she restrained herself of doing so. She was tired, uncomfortable for being in the same position, since she was still tied. Hungry, because she hasn't eaten since the morning, and she could feel a headache coming. She was starting to feel dizzy. "I don't know what you want me to tell you Damon…You know, this wasn't the reunion I was expecting" She said breaking the silence, in a whisper, that only a vampire could hear, and she knew Damon could hear her loud and clear. Now it was time to improvise. "When I was sleeping, I was all alone" This gained Damon's attention now.

She saw the change in his expression. It was gentler now and it was all the push she needed to continue "All I could see was darkness surrounding me. There was no time, and I had no manner to know how many days were passing, or if it was only minutes, hours. I lost track of time. It could drive anyone insane. And the only thought that could keep me going was thinking about you, about the moment when my eyes were finally open again, to meet yours, because you would be at my side and…" her voice failed in that moment for dramatic effect, her eyes were teary.

Damon's heart was constricted with pain now, imagining his girl having such a terrible experience. He never allowed his mind going to that place. It was too hard. And then he couldn't help but wonder…no, Elena was sleeping peacefully. In all the researches he've made about how the sleeping beauty spell works they never mentioned what she was describing. It only made the person in question sleep and that was it. But this was Katherine who he was talking about, and of course she'd make up that story. Even after she put in display her best acting so far, there were already so many hints pointing out that she wasn't Elena. He knew his girl, and the impostor in front of him wasn't her, of that he was sure. His eyes darkened and he used his vamp speed to get closer to her, just inches away from her face, frightening her in place, not that she could move anyway.

"Don't test my patience Katherine" he yelled at her, sending an angry look into her direction, turning darker witch each second passing. It sent a shiver through her spine. He could hear her heart beating faster now. "You know I can be very creative with my ways of torture. I could easily make you almost drown repeatedly times by pushing your head in a tub full with vervain, like you did to me once remember?" a devilish smile now taking place on his face. "But since you're human now, I can replace the vervain for regular water and it'd work just fine. If just throwing cold water on your face was of concern for you, it's going to be very entertaining submerging you in my bathtub until you confess. If I'm lucky you can even catch pneumonia or I can make you drown to death. I'm fine with either way"

With a shaky voice, she was determined to make him change his mind "Damon please, it's me. You need to believe me". But he wasn't listening to her anymore. Instead, he whispered into her ear with a cold tone "Or, want to know what would be even better?" He went silent, saying no more just staying there, prolonging the silence, making her grow anxious. Lowering his voice, he continued "Delivering you to her. Did you know that Miss Evilness is finding you intriguing? she says your flesh looks delicious, you wouldn't be opposed to donate a couple of pounds, would you?"

Her heart was racing in fear now. He wouldn't do that, would he? He wouldn't but the beast inside of him would. Her eyes grew wide in panic and she was shaking now. Was he being controlled again? Or was he just bluffing? She couldn't be sure now and she didn't want to take the risk.

"No, no, no, Damon ple-please. Don't do this… Fine, I'm not her. But please I don't want to die" suddenly she felt very aware of her vulnerable position and started to try to untie her hands in desperation. She didn't want to end up like all the victims she heard about.

Getting away from her, and going back to his chair, Damon lets out a dry laugh.

"Finally the Kitty Kat is out of the bag"

Katherine lets out the air she didn't know was holding back. Her fear replaced now by anger. He was playing with her all this time. But for a moment, for one single moment, she really saw a hint of darkness that she never saw in him before, when she was under his intense gaze. Or it was in her imagination? Product of how scared she was? She couldn't be sure.

"It was exhausting trying to impersonate my boring doppelganger again". She said, in a boring tone. "Took you less than a few days to figure it out this time" she said in annoyance.

"Are you so desperate to be like Elena? Green is not the best color on you Katherine" he snorted back, reminding her of the dynamic they are used to have. She felt relieved by that.

"Not really. I can't even imagine an existence more pathetic and sad. But why don't we talk about your jealousy instead?" making him raise an eyebrow. Now she was pouting "Come on Damon, admit that you are still jealous of me and Stefan". Like an act reflex she was about to raise her hand to curl her hair, but remembered she was still tied and groaned audibly.

Damon rolled his eyes again "Do I need to remind you that I love Elena and I despise you?"

She glared at him.

"I'm bored"

"What's your game Katherine? Why were you doing this?" he asked her instead, ignoring her complaints.

"Untie me. I'm getting bored. I can barely feel my gorgeous body and I need your blood if we are going to keep this conversation going"

Damon sent her a suspicious look "Fine, but you're still going nowhere, you owe me some answers"

Getting closer to her again, he started to untie the rope around one of her hands, while Katherine took advantage of his proximity to run her free hand through his hair, their faces mere inches apart, "You're so hot" she breathed those words. She was back to her playful tone. Damon ignored her and ended his work with the other hand and feet.

He went back to his closet to put the rope there. When he turned around, Katherine was already stretching her legs and arms, but barely could stand on her feet. Now he could notice that she was pale, the color drained from her face. He cursed himself for what he was about to do, but he still wanted answers.

"Sit" he said in an authoritative tone.

"You are so sexy when you want to be in control" she said in what she expected was a seductive voice. Her throat was dry.

"Can't let you faint before getting my answers" he said nonchalantly.

Katherine was about to argue but still feeling dizzy, she went back to the bed again.

Damon then directed his steps toward her, but remained on his feet. He didn't want to be closer than necessary while he was feeding her, knowing her she'd probably jump on his lap and make space to position herself between his legs. He bit his writ and lowered it to her mouth. She grabbed his arm, closed her eyes and started to drink.

Katherine felt blissfully euphoric. For a human drinking from the vein was different, it didn't have the same intensity for a vampire. For them drinking blood was gross, as it should be for her. But this was different. It was Damon's blood after all. His blood was exquisite, it was so unique. Contrary to Stefan's. Not that she'd ever admit that to him. Before when she bit his lip, it was just a taste. But now, she could savor him and lose herself in the experience. For a moment she felt a connection and her thoughts carried her away to the past, when she was used to feed from his neck. And her sweet and innocent Damon let her willingly; she didn't have to compel him, like she did with Stefan. It's been years since those stolen moments that she still miss, if she has to be honest with herself. She let out a moan and the connection was broken too soon, when Damon started to pull his arm away from her. "Hmmm just like I remembered" She licked her lips and stared at his direction. His vision was unfocused and she wondered if he felt the same.

"Now that you are merely decent again, let's go straight to the point" Damon said, while going to pour a drink for himself. When he looked back to her again, she was in front of the mirror, checking her appearance. Damon bit back a laugh.

Facing him, she looked at his drink and asked for hers.

Damon knew she was trying to annoy him on purpose "Right away Miss Pierce". He prepared another one and handed her the glass.

This time she smiled, remembering the last time he said similar words to her not long ago.

"So tell me Damon, what do you want to know?"

He gave her his you gotta be kidding me look but replied anyway. The sooner he could be done with her, the better.

"I'm just going to ask you again for the last time Katherine. Don't test your luck. Why were you trying to save me? What were you expecting to gain from this? The Katherine Pierce I know wouldn't be this foolish, you knew what I was, what is in control of me, I thought you had more survival instincts than that"

Katherine's smile returned, a genuine smile "I wouldn't have done it for just anyone"

"For Stefan, I could believe it. But not for me. There's something you must be hiding" After all Katherine always had ulterior motives.

Groaning in frustration, she approached to him "Are we doing this again? Or did you already forget when you were dying, and I brought Klaus's blood for you huh?"

Damon ended his drink and placed the glass on the nightstand.

"No need. I also remember that Stefan gave his freedom away in exchange for my life. It was the least you could do for him. Not buying it Katherine. You need a better and more convincing argument"

Katherine crossed her arms, bothered by his lack of trust in her. Not that she could blame him.

"How about that time when Klaus could have you killed at the Homecoming party? If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead by now"

Damon smirked now "For Stefan again. You weren't just saving my life, but his humanity too. You wanted the old Stefan back… and you were scared of Mikael coming after everyone, well after you, since your safety goes first. And Katherine Pierce, eluded death again. There's always a selfish reason behind your so" he moved his fingers, drawing an imaginary quotation mark "good act".

She let out an exasperated sigh.

"You know that after we came back from the prison world, I left the town. The only reason I came back was because Stefan asked for my help. He wanted to save you, but I'm not doing this for him. Especially not after he was the one who daggered me, before I ended up in that boring world, until you showed there too and made me some company" she said the last part with nostalgy.

Damon remained silent, and she took it as a good sign to continue.

"I'm not doing this for Stefan. Believe it or not, I don't love him anymore" She was letting her walls down again, and she hated him for this.

Damon chuckled "Who would have thought? It ended before or after he killed you? Do you remember when you found your daughter and instead of spending more time with her, you were after him like a dog with a bone?" he couldn't let pass the opportunity to make fun of her.

"I thought I made myself clear when I talked to you about Nadia" she said bitterly.

"But still it doesn't explain why you were acting like a desperate woman" Damon was enjoying this too much; finally he was getting a reaction out of her. He was still pissed at the fact that they tried to fool him, making him believe that Elena was back. Making him hopeful again. There was nothing he wished more in the world that having his girl with him. Oh how much he missed her. He missed her smile, the way she crunched her nose, the way she said his name, the way she looked at him with all the love and adoration only her eyes could transmit, the way she reprimanded him because of some dirty joke he made but still ended up laughing anyway. The way her face light up when he told her how much he loves her. He misses everything about her. Nostalgia was really a bitch. And since the last time he was tricked, this felt like a low blow.

Katherine drank the bourbon in one gulp and placed the glass next to his.

"I did it because I was jealous and hurt okay?" she said next. Her words came out hurriedly, as if she didn't want to say them out loud. But she still managed to show some pride moving her head up and staring at him, as if she was challenging him to laugh.

Damon was taken by surprise "Well I wasn't expecting this turn of events" was all he said. He was curious about where this was going.

"After your precious Elena drove the cure down my throat, I had to adapt myself to be human again. When I told you that it had been a long summer I meant it. Which is why I came here and asked you for…help" she said the last word in disgust. Damon chuckled. He knew that she hated depending of someone. She wasn't used to it, her ass never wanted it to show any sign of weakness. "Then you let me stay with you…"

"Boring" he interrupted her.

Katherine sent him a death glare "Like I was saying before an arrogant asshole interrupted me"

Damon pointed at himself in a 'that's me' gesture.

She continued, annoyed now "I had to tolerate seeing you mopping around every time that Elena was back to college. It was insufferable. Well, nothing different from when we were stuck together in 1994 now that I think about it. Elena turned you into a whiny man" The disgust clear in her voice.

Damon rolled his eyes.

The next time she spoke, her tone of voice was softer somehow "During all those weeks, the days when she was here, then I had to see you displaying your affection towards her, and it was worse this time because you two were actually a couple" Damon frowned, surprised by what she said. He never thought that she was paying attention to them. In fact he didn't even register her presence so much; he was too focused on Elena. When she was here on the weekends, nothing else existed besides her. Both of them lost in their own world. Katherine's words dragged him out from his thoughts "and for the first time I was thankful for being human and not a vampire. I've had enough even without the vampire hearing I lack now" She lowered her gaze for a moment, before speaking again "And it hurt". Damon was speechless. He remembered another time when she was opening up with him, letting him know how hurt she felt after experiencing his tenderness that belonged to her once, when he kissed her in the cheek, on the Gilbert's porch, thinking it was Elena.

Her expression one of pain now "It hurt believed it or not, seeing you that way with her Damon. It made me miss what we had. What we had was real and you know it. It made me very aware of all the things I lost because my preservation has always been more important to me. Not matter what I wanted, my feelings couldn't get in the way of my plans. But seeing you with her… awoke in me feelings that I thought were buried. I was resentful. I couldn't believe that the only man who showed me devotion and love for more than a century, dared to fell in love with someone else. I couldn't believe that I could be replaced in your heart. I wanted to feel loved and worshipped again. Even if it meant I was getting the leftovers of Elena. I knew that I lost you, so I turned to Stefan"

Damon would've never imagined in a million of years that the reason behind her chasing after Stefan was out of spite. He gave her an incredulous look "Are you telling me that you became more obsessed with Stefan than you already were because of me?"

She looked away. The vulnerability noticeable in the softness of her voice "Yes Damon. My pride was hurt, and I wanted to prove myself that I didn't need you. That it wasn't you the brother I was in love with. I wanted to convince myself that he was the one I wanted. I wanted to convince myself that like I told you once, it was true that it was always going to be Stefan"

Damon groaned and let out an exasperated sigh "I wish I could believe you, but you know what they say, once a liar always a liar…"

"I'm not lying Damon. I don't lie to you anymore when it comes to my feelings for you" She was looking at him intently, and he could see the truth in her eyes.

"You didn't tell me any of this when we were stuck together on the prison world" Damon said softly.

"Would it have made things different?"

"You know the answer to that question" Back at time when he still loved her, he'd give everything for hearing those words coming from her lips. He was never the chosen one, always the second choice. Until the day Elena changed his life forever. He sent a prayer every day because of it. But with Katherine… he knew that she loved them both, hell the woman had some weird fantasy of travelling around the world with him and his brother, before she was captured and had to fake her death. When he was convinced that she was only checking up on Stefan during all those years they thought she was in the tomb, she convinced him that she was checking up on him too. He didn't doubt that she loved him, but she never loved him more than what she loved Stefan. And now she was telling him that this time Stefan was her second choice because she couldn't have him. Not that it mattered anymore. He was glad for knowing this part about the story but still it didn't change anything. He doesn't have eyes for another woman that isn't Elena Gilbert. She was the love of his life. "I don't love you anymore Katherine" he said, holding her gaze.

He could see the exact moment when her walls cracked, she was doing her best to hide her hurt but he had already seen it, she hardened her voice and with a more monotone voice continued her side of the story, their story.

"I couldn't stand seeing the devotion in your eyes that once belonged to me. She wasn't only responsible of my new condition, but she was also responsible of owning your heart too. I spent so many years trying not to feel again, and yet here I was, jealous and hurt over my dear doppelganger. I wanted to hurt her so badly for having everything while I had nothing" anger filling her voice. "I didn't know I was going to miss the so called obsession I used to say that you had over me. Ironic huh? The brother who loved me too much now didn't love me at all. Which is why, after I took possession of Elena's body, I tried to hurt you back."

"So this why you tried to ruin my relationship with Elena? Saying it was over? Making me believe that she lost her faith in me and that I was a monster, that not even her could change?" His anger was rising again.

"The truth hurt isn't? I just wanted to remind you who you really are and that it was a lot of pressure for poor little Elena, having to carry with your bad decisions, with you lashing out every time that something goes wrong. You should be thanking me Damon. Sooner or later you will end up lashing out again and she will dump you. Your relationship is doomed"

Damon knew that she was trying to hurt him. She was doing this because her pride was hurt once again, but he didn't care. She was trying to use his own inner demons against him, it wouldn't work, there was nothing she could say to him that he wouldn't have said to himself already in the past few months, since he played hero and went inside that damn vault, a place where he lost everything, Elena, and the future they had planned together. He tried to quiet the voice telling him that he already had the devil inside. She was still lurking around, waiting her best opportunity to take over and chain him again. He took a deep breath and tried to control his temper.

"Careful, Katherine. Your bitterness is showing. What affected you the most? Knowing that you can't even wake my interest now or that your feelings for me won't ever make me stop loving Elena?" he said with a sarcastic smile. Then, because it was true and he knew it would hurt her, he added "You were wrong in your assumption before. I love her more than I ever loved you. In all my life I've never loved a woman in the way that I love Elena"

For a second Katherine clenched her fists. Her devious smile gone. It just lasted a second, imperceptible for anyone, but not for him. He knew he got to her.

Regaining her composure again, she started to curl her hair, a playful smile on her face. The next time she talked, he could detect the mockery in her voice. "Aww now that I remember you've already pictured a future with her. Stefan told me about how you two want to start a family. What were you planning? Adopt… kids?" the disgust noticeable in her voice "And then what? leave them without a father because they can't see how their mother gets old while their father stays the same? Because newsflash Damon, you're a vampire and she's human now. It'd never work. Besides, she'd want to have her own children. Knowing Miss Compassionate Gilbert, she probably felt sorry for you and didn't want to crush your fantasy, where you are part of it. But her future probably doesn't even include a reckless vampire like you. She will have… children yes, but with another man. Probably with someone like Matt Donovan. Damn, his eyes are so blue and pretty too. They will probably live in some boring place. At the end she will grow old and then she will die. You are so desperate for her to wake up, but you can't even have a future with her. You can't give her what she wants Damon, you know is true"

So this was her pathetic attempt to get to him? She didn't know the best part yet, which was how wrong she was. She didn't know that he didn't want to be a vampire anymore. He didn't want to have a future that doesn't include Elena in it. He couldn't picture it in another way. He and Elena living happy together in a lot above a bar he'd own, having the kids they wanted. There was a time when he couldn't even imagine being human again, now he can't even imagine an eternity without Elena. Katherine had no idea. Not that it was any of her business, or anyone's for the matter.

Damon started to laugh taking her by surprise "That was desperate, even for you Katherine. What you don't know is that as soon as I'm free from being Miss Evilness's bitch, I'm going to give up my eternity for her" her eyes grew wide in response. He bet she didn't see this coming. "I, Damon Salvatore, the eternal stud, gave up on vampirism because of her. When she wakes up, I'm gonna become human to be with her, I'm going to spend the rest of my days with her"

For once she was at loss of words. She just stared at him in disbelief.

"The Damon I knew would never do that"

"I wouldn't do it for anyone, just for Elena Gilbert" he said with a satisfied smirk.

"You are forgetting one thing Damon. Your reckless tendencies won't just disappear" She was the one laughing now "You'll probably be like one of those alcoholic husbands who made the life of their wife a living hell. I will give you hmm 2 years of marriage before Elena ask you for the divorce" she told him with a triumphant smile.

The bitch knew that this time she got to him. The visions that Stefan gave him were still vivid in his mind. Katherine couldn't know about it, but anyone who knew about his insecurities could've used the same argument against him. It wasn't a secret that his destructive tendencies could destroy the future he wanted to build with Elena. What if he ended up ruining everything again? What if he hurt his girl by disappointing her again? He couldn't allow that to happen. They've been through hell and they've survived every bump in the road. This time he wasn't going to be the one destroying their own happiness. In that moment he promised to himself that he would make it work. He'd do it for him, for Elena and for the future they had ahead. He would be the better man she knew he could be. But first, he needed to get rid of the devil. He could feel her protesting, trying to get out. He ignored her and focused for the first time in a long time what it should be when Elena wakes up and he's free, on the thought of being reunited with his girl soon, and living the life they wanted before she was taken away from him.

He was done with this conversation. But first, he was going to give Katherine a taste of her own medicine. It has always been like this with them. A battle for dominance, a battle to see who would relent first.

"I'm going to make it work" he simply said with determination. Then, approaching to her, he cornered her into the wall and said with venom in his voice "But do you want to know something funny? You are the one forgetting one thing Katherine. You're human now. Soon wrinkles are going to be visible in your skin. Your hair will turn gray. You had the better example of it when your 500 years were catching up on you. You won't be able to use your figure to your advantage anymore. Goodbye to Miss Hell in heels. Such a pity" he smiled now after the look of hate that Katherine sent in his direction. "But the best part is that you are going to die alone, because no one will care enough to make you company in your final moments"

He saw the tumult of emotions flickering through her face. Satisfied with his work, he gave her one final look, his lips curving into a smirk, and walked away from her.

"Not more funny than Elena's coffin being empty" she said, stopping him in his tracks.


	3. Chapter 3

"What did you say?" He said stopping on his tracks and furiously cornering her.

"I said Damon that her coffin is empty. Tyler barely made it here to let Stefan know. There was an attack on that warehouse in Brooklyn. They, whoever they are, almost killed every one of your compelled minions in search of her. When Tyler wanted to protect her it was too late. The coffin was still there but the lovely Elena was gone"

Damon felt as if his heart was ripped out from his chest. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't lose her again.

"You are lying!" He was yelling now, desperate for some confirmation that she was only lying to hurt him. That his girl was still safe.

"Believe what you want. While you were busy with your victims, the girl you claim to love was being taken away who knows where"

Damon felt as if he was being punched in the guts. It was all his fault. He promised once that he wouldn't let anything happening to her. That at the end of the day he was going to be the one to keep her alive. To his mind came memories of when he thought he set her in fire and he felt dead inside. What could they possibly want with her? What if they wanted to kill her? Paranoia taking any rational thought away, clouding his mind. He knew that Katherine would say anything, but in his desperation he couldn't help but wonder if it was true. He could feel the devil inside of him feeding of his emotions. She was gaining strength while he was getting weaker. He tried to fight it but she was too strong again. He needed to find Elena. He needed to protect her. He couldn't fail her again. He was feeling hopeless, but he kept fighting. He fell to his knees again, with his head in his hands. Katherine said something but he couldn't hear her. Sybil was angry now, because his worry and desperation were making her grip weaker on him, it would take no time to lash out in desperation.

And then he felt it, her wrath running through every inch of his entire body, shaking him. She knew that Damon could win the battle again, for Elena. Miss Evilness was losing him again and. His moment of agony seemed to last forever, until everything went quiet. Damon was taken aback by the sudden quietness inside his head again. He could hear fragments of what Katherine was saying, but the words weren't making any sense.

"Damon"

"Afraid…"

"She'll kill me"

"lied"

That word finally grabbed his attention, he had felt as if he was in some kind of limbo, could only hear bits and pieces of what she was saying until that word he wanted to hear.. He raised his head and looked at Katherine. The quietness was gone now. His vampire hearing working once again.

She let out the air she was holding, relieved to find that Damon was still there "Damon, did you hear me? I lied before. You pissed me off, but Elena is safe"

He was still disoriented, in one hidden corner of his mind he remembered…the vervain his brother had used on him, it was probably wearing off by now. Before Damon could process what this meant and what Katherine just said, the darkness came back with full force taking him by surprise. Taking advantage of his distraction. He could feel it's invisible tentacles imprisoning him. Before he was swallowed whole, he managed to turn his head towards Katherine and let out a strangled word "RUN"

Katherine didn't even think about it, her human legs were running as fast as they could get her, damn how she missed the vampire speed now. She quickly went down the stairs, almost tripping on the last step but managing to recover her balance just to sprint to the front door, colliding with a very familiar strong chest.

"Going somewhere, Kitty Kat? He said in a somber tone, with an evil smile lurking on the corner of his mouth, his eyes were…lifeless, empty. She could swear they were less blue, turned into a dull gray.

She felt a deathly chill in her entire body, a sensation interrupted by cold fingers roaming the skin of her arm.

"You are shaking, Pierce" He made a tsk tsk sound "What would your enemies say if they saw you like this? The great Katherine Pierce, scared as a frightened little kitten" He pouted.

"Damon, let me go" She said with her lips trembling and her heart beating so fast she could practically hear it, even lacking the vampire hearing.

"Oh sweety…he's not here anymore"

Katherine felt tears pricking her eyes, tears of pure fear at the bone chilling tone that…thing used and immediately ran to the kitchen. She got there and scanned the place until she found something she could fight Sybil-Damon with. A sharp big knife was now being gripped by her right hand.

"Oh Kitty Kat, where are you? He said extending the u in the creepiest of ways. Her heartbeat was frantic but she needed to get herself under control if she wanted to make it out of this alive before Stefan…Stefan! He woukd be getting home soon, she just needed to make time until that happened. She turned to the sink and opened the cabinets below, these would do. She got inside immediately, closing the little door behind her, cornering herself clutching the knife for dear life.

"You're making this really really fun, Kitty Kat" She heard him say as his footsteps got closer to the kitchen "After all, the chase is the best part. All the emotions pouring out of your skin combined with a heart stopping fear, don't you remember that? The thrill of the chase, seeing how hope leaves your victim's eyes when they finally understand…there's no escape"

His voice got more far from the kitchen as he was talking, she stood silently, waiting for him to come back, but he didn't…She doesn't know how many minutes passed, could've been 10, or an hour as far as she was concerned…But it seemed like she was in the clear, perhaps Stefan had gotten home and put Damon down, damn her human hearing, she couldn't hear shit. She held her beath as long as she could in hopes to listen a little bit better, nothing, not a single peep, seemed like she was out of the woods, she finally let out the air she was holding through a heavy sigh of relief when the cabinet door was ripped away.

"Boo" He said with a malicious smile as he dragged her outside and held her with a not so gentle grip on her arms "You really are pretty" He said as his index finger ran from her neck to the top of her breasts "You must be delicious"

"Please no" Katherine cried out "I'll do whatever you want, I'll serve you better that Damon ever would". That seemed to capture Damon-Sybil's interest.

"You would trade yourself for him?" He asked with disbelief in his face.

"I just don't want to die" She shook her head frantically as she felt new tears forming in her eyes.

"That's not what I asked" He said in a cold voice, his hand gripping her neck with so little force.

"Yes, I would"

Katherine saw several emotions going through his face all at once, mockery, disbelief and realization…Of what?

"Shame" He said just as he roughly grabbed the back of her neck and lunged for her. She braced for the impact…An impact that never came. She was confused and very afraid to open her eyes, then she felt warm hands holding her arms.

"Hey, it's okay. Open your eyes"

She finally let out a sigh of relief and opened her eyes. There she was, Caroline Forbes standing in front of her, staring at her with compassion? Or pity? Who knew and she was too tired to figure it out if she was honest "Finally" She nearly snarled "It took you guys long enough to get here"

"We're sorry Kathe…" Stefan started saying.

"No, don't say it. We're not. She accepted the consequences of this and she agreed, no one forced her" Caroline said staring pointedly at Katherine, who just rolled her eyes.

"I know, and I would do it again…We…I mean Damon must be saved at all costs, you don't understand, I've never in my 500 years on this earth felt this darkness, never saw a pair of eyes so devoid of any emotion"

Stefan only bowed down his head in anguish, and following his eyes is where she finally saw him. Damon was passed out with 2 syringes of vervain still stuck on his neck. She stepped around him and finally lowered herself to the ground next to him, and with the gentlest of touches, caressed the side of his face, trapped in her own thoughts until Caroline annoyingly cleared out her throat…Right, her doppleganger's man and all. She stood up quickly and walked towards the doorway of the kitchen.

"Well, love birds, I'll be getting out of your hair now, good luck" She said with a mischevious smile on her face but with the most sincere look she's ever portrayed.

"Katherine" Stefan said, making her turn around before exiting the kitchen "Thank you"

Katherine just nodded her head in acknowledgement and walked away, not sparing another glance behind.

* * *

A few days had passed, Stefan, Bonnie and Caroline were all in the livingroom, discussing the different theories they had on how to exorcise Damon's demon, so to speak. Matt and Alaric were frantically doing research on all the books Tyler, who was talking in the phone with Elena's care taker in shift, had gotten them.

"I think he's really better. Almost 5 days have passed and Sybil hasn't posessed him again, maybe seeing Katherine really helped him" Stefan said wiith hope in his voice and looking at each one of them, looking for someone who would agree with him.

"I don't think we should count this as victory yet" Bonnie said.

"It's the longest Damon has been free, we have monitored him everyday" Alaric said with a nod to acknowledge Stefan in the end.

"What if she-evil posessed Katherine instead? – Matt asked, making Caroline snort.

"Please, the devil herself needs no possession" Suddenly she got more somber and turned to Stefan, holding his hand between hers and looking at everyone as she talked "I don't know guys, this feels too easy. I think only the real Elena can bring Damon back"

Everyone in the room just bowed down their heads, oh how they needed Elena Gilbert back.

Meanwhile, below on the basement the chains are softly rattling, he's slowly waking up, he can hear them talk, about him. He bowed his head to his chest and closed his eyes, then slowly raised his head to look up, dull blue eyes looking completely empty and the most bone chilling smile curving on his lips…


End file.
